The Fungus That Makes The Dead Alive Again: Zombie Ant Fungi

You are an ant, deep in the tropical forests of South America. You’re just minding your own business, doing your daily foraging like every other worker ant, when you pass under a leaf. You pause. Something seems… amiss. You can’t sense any immediate danger, though, so you continue on your merry way.

Little did you know, you’ve been infected.

Ophiocordyceps unilateralis has gained media attention in recent years because of the flat-out creepy way that it reproduces. It sounds like something out of science-fiction, but it's arguably one of the coolest animals out there. The process of infection starts when a spore lands on the exoskeleton of an unsuspecting ant. The ant is none-the-wiser as the spore drills through its hard shell and makes a home in its body. For the next two days, the fungus grows and replaces much of the ant's innards.

O. unilateralis then induces full-body convulsions that cause the ant to fall to the forest floor. The mind-controlled ant crawls up a leaf stalk about three feet off of the forest floor and then anchors onto the underside of the leaf in a "death grip." The fungus kills the ant and grows a stalk from the back of the corpse's head. When the stalk matures, it releases spores in an attempt to infect more unsuspecting ants foraging on the forest floor below.

Why is O. unilateralis significant? Well, beyond the fact that it's really cool, it acts as a natural population management tool for when jungle carpenter ant populations get too big. It also has medicinal potential, among other things, such as showing promise for anti-tumor, immunity and other health property activities. Also, oddly enough, the zombie fungi produces red and purple pigments under certain conditions, which makes them viable for food coloring.

Some other food for thought is the new type of Ophicordyceps fungus discovered in 2014 by a student from University of Louisiana-Lafayette. This other species displayed similar behavior, targeting only queen ants instead of regular carpenter ants, and thus, it carries more devastating potential to jungle ant colonies.

As a zombie enthusiast and science geek, I personally find this fungus one of the most fascinating things on the planet. A friend of mine, on the other hand, gasped and asked in horror if the fungus could infect humans when I told her about it. I was sorely tempted to say yes, just to mess with her. Post-apocalyptic videogames like "The Last of Us," which features an evolved form of Cordyceps that turns people into zombies, explore the possibility of what would happen if the fungus could spread to humans, however the events of the game are purely fictional. Cross-species transmission is only really applicable to viral and some bacterial diseases, so Ophiocordyceps poses no danger to humans... as of yet.

45 Things Day Care Workers Say All Too Often

Being the keeper of tiny humans can be a very interesting job. You are constantly breaking up arguments, cleaning up messes, trying to keep them safe, and telling them not to do things that are well, sometimes pretty weird. They do and say the strangest things that'll make you wonder what is really going on in their little heads.

1. "No no no, don't do *something crashes to the floor* ....that."

2. "Bubbles in your mouths every body!"

3. "No, we don't eat our friend's snack."

4. "Hands to yourself."

5. "Get off of the table before you hurt yourself."

6. "Why do we even give them spoons?"

7. "We don't put toys in our mouths"

8. "Did you wash your hands?"

9. "Where do we run? Where are we right now?"

10. "Where are your shoes?"

11. "We don't talk like that here."

12. "Go tell them you're sorry"

13. "Get your finger out of your nose"

14. "Inside voices please!"

15. "Every one find a buddy."

16. "Ew ew ew, some body get me a tissue!"

17. "How did your shoes untie already? I just tied them five minutes ago."

18. "We do nice with our hands."

19. "Oh god, it's spaghetti day."

20. "Please, do not put noodles in your hair."

21. "Hold hands until we are on the play ground!"

22. "5 little monkeys jumping on the bed, one fell off and bumped his head..."

23. "Do you have to poop?"

24. "Well you should at least try."

25. "Why didn't you go to the potty before we went outside."

26. "If I hear "Let it go" one more time..."

27. "Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog.."

28. "Mommy and Daddy will come back, I promise."

29. "No, no biting!"

30. "She had it first, you'll just have to wait until she's done."

31. "Ew, why are you dipping everything in applesauce?"

32. "Now, are you going to eat the vegetable with the ranch or just the ranch?"

33. "Then why did you say you weren't eating snack?"

34. "Put your arms back in your sleeves."

35. *Five minutes before closing* "Where are your parents??"

36. "I finally got him to sleep, everyone be quiet."

37. *You see one eye open* "Oh no..."

38. "Wow, all your kids are still sleeping!?" (We wish we said this more often)

39. "Don't eat that, it was on the floor!"

40. "Glue the google eyes on here." *puts the eyes anywhere but there*

41. "Stop fighting over who's going to turn off the lights, you'll get a turn tomorrow."

42. "Don't shove so much food in your mouth at once, you'll choke!"

43. "Chew and swallow your food before you get up."

45. "Don't touch anything until we wash your hands!"

As weird as these small people are, they are some of the sweetest beings on the planet. And although they drive you crazy, at the end of the day, they make you love your job.

To Pollen, As You Ruin My Life

When did you decide to make my car your breeding ground? I do not recall you asking for permission. I understand you are just doing your job, but come on, why are we so incompatible?

You make me sneeze. You make me rub my eyes until they practically bleed. I am just wondering if you try to purposely make me sneeze uncontrollably at the worst times possible.

I try to appreciate the flowers and trees, however, they do not appreciate me. You are like plants' security system, and you do a good job at keeping me away. I wouldn't dare even look at a flower. Blowing a dandelion to make a wish would most likely put me in anaphylactic shock.

By the way, are you stalking me? Everywhere I go, you are always there. I even see you in my bed sometimes... you infiltrate the air I need to breathe. Not to mention, you are obsessed with making me sneeze. Who enjoys making people's eyes red and itchy?

It must be nice being you. Not only do you bathe in flower nectar all day, but you vacation anywhere you please and get free transportation from the bees. If no bees are available, you have no issue riding on "Spring Breeze airlines" and flying right through my hair.

Excuse me for being the interruption to delay your flight. It seems you are also pretty good with the ladies. You bounce around from flower to flower sprinkling your yellow powder everywhere in order to produce new seeds.

However, it must be hard dealing with so many pregnant flowers! I can imagine they are quite needy.

You are really strong this year. There must have been a lot of hiring in the winter off-season. The pollen industry is really booming. Is there a new boss in charge? Global warming seems to be great for your business. Like most businessmen, you do an amazing job at irritating everyone.

Thank you for strengthening my relationship with tissues. During the spring, a box of tissues and I go together like cookies and milk. I wouldn't dare go out without a few tissues by my side. I guess tissues are just the new spring trendy accessory.

Also, thanks for all the blessings! When you make me sneeze over and over, people feel obligated to bless me. It really puts me on the spot, but I should start counting my blessings.

I have battled you every spring, and I always lose. Not even your biggest enemies; Claritin, Allegra or Zyrtec can stop you from your vicious attacks. Every year, I hope we can work out our differences, but unfortunately, you do not feel the same way. I will be waiting if you ever come around.